1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Reclining Changing Seat for use in connection with changing children""s diapers. The Reclining Changing Seat has particular utility in connection with a car safety seat having a reclining seat to permit a child to be diapered without removal of the child from the seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Reclining Seats are desirable for the convenience of placing an infant or child in a position better suited for sleep.
The use of Reclining Seats is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,492 to Peterson discloses an infant car seat that can be moved into a reclining position. The car seat disclosed by Peterson ""492 reclines to a small degree that may permit an infant riding in the seat to be more comfortable but does not recline to such a degree that would is permit the infant""s diaper to be changed while keeping the infant in the seat.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,468 to Shubin discloses a child safety car seat that can be tilted as a unit so that the passenger may lean back and sleep. The car seat disclosed by Shubin ""468 tilts to a small degree that may permit an infant riding in the seat to sleep more comfortably. However, the car seat of Shubin ""468 does not tilt to such a degree that would permit the infant""s diaper to be changed while keeping the infant in the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,838 to Johnson discloses a cushion to be added to a car seat that provides a substantially flat diaper-changing surface. However, the cushion of the Johnson ""838 disclosure is not itself integral with the car seat.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,287 to Tandrup discloses a device for supporting and positioning infants. The Tandrup ""287 device provides cushioning and a safety strap. However, the Tandrup ""287 patent does not teach or suggest a device that serves to keep an infant in a sitting position wherein the device may also recline to a substantially horizontal position so as to serve as a diaper changing surface. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 4276,785 to Kassai discloses a car seat that has a seat portion and a base portion. However, the car seat of Kassai ""785 does not have a seat portion that reclines to a substantially horizontal position to permit the infant""s diaper to be changed while keeping the infant in the seat.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a reclining changing seat that allows a child""s diaper to be changed while the child remains in the seat. The Peterson ""492, Shubin ""468 and Kassai ""785 patents each make no provision for child safety seat a portion of which reclines to a substantially horizontal position while the child remains in the seat to permit a diaper to be easily changed. The device of the Tandrup ""287 patent makes no provision of use of the device in the sitting position and no suggestion to recline a child from the sitting position within the device to permit a diaper to be changed. The cushion of the Johnson ""838 patent is not integral with the car seat but rather added to an existing seat for a temporary changing surface. The Johnson ""838 patent makes no provision for a car seat that is itself adjustable to accommodate diaper changes.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved Reclining Changing Seat, which can be used for reclining an infant in a car seat to a substantially horizontal position to permit a child to be diapered without removing the child from the car seat. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the Reclining Changing Seat according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of reclining a child sitting in a car seat having a reclining changing seat so that the child may be diapered without removing the child from the seat.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of Reclining Seats now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved Reclining Changing Seat, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved Reclining Changing Seat and method of changing an child""s diaper which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a Reclining Changing Seat which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a reclining seat having a substantially L-shaped base unit and a seat having a reclining seat portion. The seat may be pulled out from the base unit, rotated with respect to the base unit and the reclining seat portion reclined to form a substantially horizontal surface.
The present invention also comprises a car safety seat having a reclining seat where the car safety seat essentially comprises a substantially L-shaped base unit that accommodates a safety belt and a seat having a reclining seat portion. The seat portion may be pulled out from the base unit, rotated with respect to the base unit and the reclining seat portion reclined to form a substantially horizontal surface.
The substantially horizontal surface of the reclining seat or car safety seat with reclining seat may be used as a diaper-changing surface. Preferably, the reclining seat or car safety seat with reclining seat would also comprise means of storing diaper-changing essentials in a handy location.
The present invention also comprises a method of changing a child""s diaper without removing the child from a car seat, the method essentially comprising activating a locking release mechanism to release a seat of the car seat from a base unit, pulling and rotating the seat of the car seat with respect to a safety belted base unit of the car seat, reclining a reclining seat portion so that the child and the reclining seat portion are in a substantially horizontal position, and changing the child""s diaper.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a reclining seat portion that may be rotated to the left or right. The seat portion and the base unit of the present invention may be permanently attached to each other to enhance the safety of the seat. The seat may be secured to the base unit with a locking mechanism to prevent undesired movement of the seat. The reclining seat portion of the present invention may be reclined by activating a locking release mechanism, pulling and rotating the seat with respect to the base unit and reclining the reclining seat portion by pulling the bottom of the seat while simultaneously reclining the seat back. The seat of the present invention may be connected to the base unit via a sliding, revolving mechanism and a track. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved Reclining Changing Seat that has all of the advantages of the prior art Reclining Seats and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved Reclining Changing Seat that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved Reclining Changing Seat that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such Reclining Changing Seat economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new Reclining Changing Seat that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a Reclining Changing Seat that permits a child""s diaper to be changed without removing the child from a car safety seat.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a Reclining Changing Seat that would provide parents access to a safe sanitary diaper-changing site during a long car trip, or when diaper-changing facilities are not available.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of changing a child""s diaper without removing the child from a car seat, the method essentially comprising activating a locking release mechanism to release a seat portion of the car seat from a base unit, pulling and rotating a seat portion of the car seat with respect to a safety belted base unit of the car seat, reclining the reclining seat portion so that the child and the reclining seat portion are in a substantially horizontal position, and changing the child""s diaper.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.